The Opelousas courier., 1887-10-22
JACKS REFORMATION

novelty to him. He had been spending
the day at Glen Island, and had par
taken SO freely of both the solid and the
liquid that he was puzzled as to which
to attribute his unsteady gait. 1t was
1 o'clock in the morning. He had just
left the elevated railroad and was zig.
tagging homeward with his white hat
on the back of his head and his hands ir
his pockets, singing softly to himself:
The man in the moon is looking, love;
He's winking, love; he's blinking, love;
And each little star will tell
Here Jack ran against a tree and lost
the thread of his song. After recover.
ing his hat, which had rolled inthe gut
ter, Jack resumed his journey, and
turning up a quiet side street climbed
up a front stoop and sat down upon the
topmost step. The moon was shining
brightly aud paling the street lamps.
The horizon wassit up with a glow like
that of a prairie fire, and the chimneys
across the way stood out black and dis
tinct against the glowing background.
From far down the street he could
hear a party of serenaders singing an
old song which sounded familiar to him.
Jack was beginning to get sobered. He
psf his followed hand behind his ear
and listened. Yes, although he could
not hear the words, the serenaders were
so far away, he could supply them him.
self:
There's a heart beating for somebody,
Lighting the hopne he loves best,
Warming the bosom of somebody
Warming the bosom Of somebody, oh!
and the oh care waited down the
street in a tuneful little WdefwDwhich
died away like a sob in the distance.
The song brought to jacks remem-
branee an old-fashionsd use on a
Vermont hillside. TheyY we.A horse
hair chairs in the room and a p@sture OF
Washington and his fdhily on thywall.
In the corner stood al little mel s6gn
with a squeaky belloWss the compld de
of which he cou{ hear even
through all the Intervening years. lIseg
fore the meHiodeon sat a young girl
whose blue scarf matched the color of
her eyes and who was playing the very
tune he had just heard. The "ohl" at
the end of the song came softly to him
out Of the past and it seemed to Jack
to have something Of regret in it. Jack
took off his hat and ran his hands
through his hair. He lapsed into remi-
niscence again, and remembered how he
had married the blue-eyed girl and
brought her to the big roaring city how
the babies had come one after another
until they had three; how his s'little
wopan's eyes had lost some of their lus-
ire from weeping, and how he stayed
out late o. nights drinkiReheer when he
should have been hSme booking after
the welfare of his wife and babies.
BY this time Jack was thor
ougly sobered and repentant. He
felt in his pocket for his latchkey, but
the key wasn't there. He didn't care to
ring the Bel, because he was afraid Of
his wife's anger. The window had been
left up because the night was warm, but
he thrust his hands between the blind
Stats and tried to undo the fastening. A
low growl made him withdraw his hand
quickly. Then 1t occurred to him that
it was only his setter dog, and he
whistled softly to the dog and the ami
NAL whined a recognition. After strug-
Cling with the fastening until he sue,
ceeded III christening the window BIZ
lodged on the window sill when he tried
to climb in, and, loaded as he was,
teetered back and forth, at the immi.
nent risk Of tunbling into the stone
basement below. At last he rolled into
the room with a thump which shook The
whole house. He had just gathered uT
his bruised body and placed it upon the
sofa when the door opened and his wife
made her appearance.
SO you've returned, have you, Z said
she sarcaatica.ly, while her eyes blazed
like ardent Goals. ssThe baby IS sick
with the Group up stairs, but Of course
you don't care anything about that. W.
might all be taken down with the chol.
era and yon wouldn't know anything
about It. / suppose you've had q very
pleasant time to-day with your friends,
and are as drunk as usual. This thing
has gone on u long 81 + Is possible e
last. Get down, Rover. I could curse
you, cir. Even The dog IS 4 better pro
hector than yon arc. hate you. That's
what + think you md she struck him
I blow ID the face with the Sat Of hei
hand which made his head ring, Oll,
yoa deeeitfuI wretch, II ! had j pistol ]
would shoot you. lse coftihnsd.
Jack gfi9ted his teeth together and
senchsa his ha ne hslEscse from